Shed On a Budget…But Invest When Possible

A lot of people close to me have told me I’m great at spending money. I concur. A few weeks ago, my friend Cara Binder was hesitating on buying the new Mac she knew she needed, so she G-chatted me. She knew I’d tell her to do it.

In my defense, I only spend money on things I love. (I just love so many things!) And I don’t let my friends buy things I deem stupid, risky, wasteful, hideous, or unnecessary. (Like breast implants! You know who you are…)

Anyway, my apologies in advance, but this is going to be a “You should definitely buy that new Mac” post. Because as much as I get off on sticking to my budget, I really only do it so I can save up to buy the expensive stuff I really want. Like, yes I’ll eat eggs and oatmeal every day if it means I can buy a new camera at some point. But whether you’ve been saving or you’re about to get a tax refund (!!!) the fact is, sometimes, you’re flush. And when that happens, you should invest in some things.

Now the thing about investing in health-related items is it’s totally up to you how much you want to invest. It could seriously be $10. It could be $100. It could be $500. The point is, it’s up to you and you should remember when you’re doing it — if you’re doing it right — that sometimes it’s OK to spend money. I’ve been working so hard at budgeting that I often feel guilty buying things that I actually want and need, but as long as you give yourself a reasonable limit, then why not treat yourself every few months or so? But if you’ll sleep better knowing you sacrificed something to get it, fine, you little martyr….I have some tips for that too.

• Invest in good food. If you worked a little overtime, go ahead and buy a more expensive nut butter or try a recipe with a special ingredient. I have been so lazy about trying new recipes lately if they require a special ingredient. I’m like, “What!? Cilantro?!  I don’t have that kind of extra cash…” No. An extra $2 bunch of herbs is fine. Hey even an $8 pinch of saffron is fine once in a while. Stretch your dollar by…making enough of the recipe to freeze or finding other ways to use that saffron.
• Invest in something that makes working out easier. Identify your main barrier to your fitness goal and then determine what product, if any, could make this easier. And then instead of saying, “I KNOW I’d work out more if I had better music,” just STFU and buy a damn Shuffle. Stretch your dollar by… NOT buying three new tops at Forever 21 this weekend. Oh, wow, money for a Shuffle, there ya go! (I mean, really, Forever 21 clothes last through two parties; a Shuffle lasts through hundreds of workouts.)
• Invest in a kitchen gadget or cookbook that will help you eat healthier. For me, it’s my Magic Bullet. For you, it could be a crock pot or microwave for your office. (Seriously, when I spent $30 on a micro for my office last year, it was the best decision I ever made because I could finally start packing soup for lunch.) Stretch your dollar by…saving up for it by not eating in any restaurants for two weeks.
• Invest in good shoes. Your feet matter! Good shoes will affect your whole body, especially if you’re a runner. I bought my spinning shoes after eight solid months of regularly attending classes. That was two years ago, and I don’t plan to replace them for probably another five. I bought my hideous Asics for my marathon to make my training official…and it worked, because God knows I wasn’t going to wear those shoes anywhere else but on a run. Stretch your dollar by…getting fitted for your shoes in a specialty shop, writing down the brand/style, and then ordering them online. This can save about $20, especially if you live in the ‘burbs where cycling shoes are super overpriced.
• Invest in a Fitbook. I’m officially a champion for this thing, sorry, but it’s amazing!! Stretch your dollar by…no Starbucks, iTunes, or magazines for a week!
• Invest in something that will pay off in the long run. Right now, I’m saving up for my own Spinning bike (!!!) and a TRX system. Scary to drop that kind of cash? Yes. Will it pay for itself in less than a year because I’ll quit the gym? Yup. But it doesn’t have to be pricey…it can even be something as simple as hitting Costco to buy peanut butter in bulk or stocking your freezer with frozen fruits and veggies. Stretch your dollar by…using the free gym in your apartment complex while you save up or selling off something that was bought with this intention but was never used (i.e. the “Oh that’s a treadmill, not an extra closet?” sitting in your garage).

My rule with investing is it has to be something you can’t get out of your head (like, um, any song by Ke$sha? Except more expensive, and, not, you know, #nailsonachalkboard)…but it also has to be something you KNOW will make your life better and something you know you’ll USE.

I used this logic when I bought Preston the Perfect Brownie Pan for Valentine’s Day. I knew he couldn’t get it out of his head, and I knew he’d love and and I knew we’d actually use it. And we already did once, and yes…those brownies are perfect.

My mom likes to give me shit for how much stuff I own, but I like to point out that I use it all regularly. I read reviews, shop around, take my time deciding, and honestly evaluate whether or not I’ll use something…to be honest, it takes some of the fun out of it, because it feels too smart to even be a splurge! But I’ll continue to do it because the fact is, I love spending money, but I hate wasting it.

Tagged as: budget, Exercise, goals, kitchen gadgets, Motivation Conversations, shopping, technology